


i'm a fuse and i've met my match.

by kaidoripropaganda



Series: akane + relationship studies. [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Post-Canon, Relationship Study, not really enemies but we know how cold fuyuhiko was before that character arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:16:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26461786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaidoripropaganda/pseuds/kaidoripropaganda
Summary: the last person akane had ever expected to become close with was the yakuza boss who seemed to have a sly remark or threatening comment for every interaction during the simulation. [ relationship study with akane and fuyuhiko ]
Relationships: Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Owari Akane, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, the relationships get mentioned quite a bit so it feels appropriate to tag
Series: akane + relationship studies. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913356
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	i'm a fuse and i've met my match.

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited, these two are my favourite friendship and biggest brotp in the entire series and I have been patiently awaiting to do fuyuhiko who happens to be my best boy of the second game, no shock there. 
> 
> ft. my akane redesign, as always, because I just have grown attached to it and love it dearly and I just think she's neat xx

* * * 

Akane had been getting ready for the meetup that all the girls had organized for the beach; they had decided on the time, who was bringing snacks, they'd stop to get food, they would all come ready in their bathing suits—it seemed like a perfect plan.

The gymnast had not been interested at first, saying that she'd prefer to just train than swim around but Sonia and Ibuki had convinced her to simply come after training even if she was a bit late it would be perfectly okay.

She had just finished training and sparring with Nekomaru, the two definitely enjoying themselves especially Akane who had yearned and begged to fight something or someone, what better option than the Ultimate Team Manager? 

However, Akane had certainly taken the beat down, blood dripped from her forehead though she was already on the verge of being late, she didn't care or have time to think about the wound.

Nekomaru had panicked, immediately stopping the session and offering to clean her up. Akane refused, admitting that the wound did not hurt  _ that _ bad. The gymnast also refused to let herself get too attached to him, she knew that was the one law she had about this island besides the obvious: don't kill.

He had insisted until they reached a compromise to at least talk to Mikan to make sure the wound would heal properly, he made sure of this by telling her he would refuse to train until she was patched up and recovered.

_ "C'mon old man," _ she had whined.

Walking in her striped blue and white bathing suit she sighed, the blood mainly had gone off to the sides of her cheeks and hair, not getting in her eyes at least.

She began to skip towards the restaurant before spotting a clearly anxious Fuyuhiko, a rare sight for the man who talked such a big game and always seemed to have an underlying threat prepared for every reply possible.

"Yo, what's the Yakuza doing around here," she yelled before she noticed him wince though she didn't know if it was because her head was thrashed with blood or if something had been completely off.

"What the fuck?! Why are you bleeding?"

Akane grinned.

"Coach Nekomaru and I got into a little sprawl is all," she admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. Fuyuhiko shook his head, finding it unbelievable that these two had been going at it so bad.

"Jeez, might as well just kill you on the spot." 

Akane scoffed.

"Hey, it's respect, he's giving me all he has because he knows I can take it, it's not like we're trying to hurt each other," she groaned, frustrated of having to explain to people how training with Nekomaru worked.

Fuyuhiko's foot tapped vigorously on the empty street, right near the parking lot.

"Yeah…" 

There was silence before Akane opened her mouth, curious about why he was acting so strange though she assumed it was better not to ask questions when it came to Fuyuhiko.

"You have a bathing suit on so I'm gonna assume you have somewhere to go," he muttered taking a look at her appearance for a brief moment though his eyes centered mainly on the head injury.

"You're not wrong!" 

Fuyuhiko bit his tongue before signing, walking away with no kind of goodbye, he simply started to distance himself from her.

Akane shrugged.

_ He's always like this, it's best not to overthink it right now. _

* * * 

"Hey," she mumbled, trying to stay quiet as she could for Fuyuhiko's sake as she walked near where his hospital bed was placed.

Akane had decided to pay a personal visit to the Yakuza after a training session with Nekomaru, she wanted to at least get to see him in a better light and make sure he was decently okay.

She wasn't sure how okay someone who had managed to lose their best friend and the person he loved in the same moment would be. He had an eyepatch around the eye Peko had damaged during his execution and covers all around his arm and vital areas.

He was slashed halfway to death but Peko still, even in her final moments, had given everything to project him. Akane found it admirable even if she didn't understand her mentality and way of thinking.

She seemed to crack and realize how badly Fuyuhiko wanted her and her alone in the final few seconds of the trial.

"Oh god," he whispered before he chuckled, Akane smiling at the sound of his innocent laughter, it was comforting, it reminded her of all her siblings back home.

"Are you gonna scream again about you and Nekomaru's relationship? Mikan isn't here so she won't tell you guys to be quiet," he teased softly as Akane blushed, suddenly remembering that they had indeed gone on and on about their relationship earlier this morning when they had come to all visit him.

"What relationship?"

Fuyuhiko stared at her, confused, as if she had just broken him.

Akane changed the subject, not wanting to know where he was getting at with that statement. Besides, he probably didn't want to hear in great detail about her and Nekomaru's training and their own personal,  _ intimate _ moments.

"How you holdin' up? I think you look great with the eyepatch." 

Old Fuyuhiko probably would have cussed her out for asking such a "stupid" question and mentioning the obvious eyepatch that you everyone had taken in from their first visit to confirm he was alive.

He had changed.

The Yakuza  _ smiled. _

"Well… I'm alive," he began before he gently felt the fabric across his eye with a sigh. "I'm alive because of her, I need to respect the fact that she did all of that for me." 

Akane smirked, glad to see that he wasn't trying to be the big, bad Yakuza boss that everyone had expected him to be. 

He had acted like such a foul pest the first two trials right up until the very end where he had finally realized he was going to lose her. Akane hoped that it would stay this way.

She sat on the corner of the bed, impressed that he didn't seem to mind her trying to confide in him. 

"Well, if I can be honest," she took in a breath before she continued on with her statement. "I think I really like the new Fuyuhiko a lot better," she hummed.

Fuyuhiko cocked a brow.

"New... Fuyuhiko?" 

Akane nodded.

"You seem nicer now, like I can actually talk to you without the fear of being insulted y'know?" Her tone was far too pleasant and upbeat for discussing a matter like Fuyuhiko's own flaws.

He looked upset though he already knew how much of a facade he had put on, even if his anger was sometimes brutally honest and was from a place of emotional instability; he had completely lost himself in that second trial afterall.

"Guess I gotta start reworking myself." 

Fuyuhiko felt a hand on top of his own, he looked over confused before he noticed that Akane had taken his hand into her own; the gymnast giving a firm smile.

"I think she'd be proud of you." 

The Yakuza felt his eyes water, beyond happy that he had an eyepatch on. He didn't want to think about her yet she was the only thing on his mind, the only thing he wanted or dreamed about.

"Thanks Akane." 

The gymnast gently slapped his shoulder, giving him a wink, "No problem, we're friends now right?" 

The Yakuza laughed before he felt himself begin to nod.

"Friends." 

* * * 

"Let's go," Fuyuhiko yelled as Akane scoffed, taking off with him once again as they began to examine the Funhouse further. 

The gymnast felt her entire brain rush, her heart seemed to be beating faster and faster after they had learned the true motive of being at the Funhouse.

"Hey… do you think Monokuma is serious?" 

The Yakuza groaned, he didn't want to once again talk about how damn cruel this starvation motive was but he also realized that his partner was Akane, the one who always stuffed her face beyond return.

"I definitely don't think he's shitting around," he admitted as they walked around the hall, Akane's focus utterly blurred with inappropriate ideas already.

_ No… I won't kill someone… right?  _

Fuyuhiko gave a glance.

"Don't even think about it." 

Akane looked up, confused before she felt her cheeks heating up, she was completely unaware that he had been studying her facial expressions. 

She assumed being a Yakuza meant being able to pinpoint the exact moments of killing surfaced across their brain however maybe that was just the Gymnast being completely delusional.

"I wasn't thinking about that…"

Fuyuhiko scoffed.

"Listen, I know it fucking sucks, it's painful especially for you but we need to stick together on this," he spoke truthfully. 

Akane sighed.

She should be glad that someone is pulling her down, glad that Fuyuhiko, after his aggressive facade that had lasted up until the end of the second trial, was trying to talk some sense into her growing mental pain.

"You don't understand," she finally responded as they ended up near the stairwell. 

"Huh?" 

The gymnast bit her lip, not knowing how to phrase everything without sounding like a complete fool or an open book; it wasn't something she often shared with others though most knew she had siblings and that she had started gymnastics just for money and resources.

"You don't get what it's like to have lived your childhood not knowing if you'd eat, all the weird favours you did just for bread or how sly you had to be to steal food so your siblings could eat…" 

Fuyuhiko stayed silent.

He couldn't argue with her.

His life had been hard, extremely hard but he still had a family and an entire clan who he could depend on even if sometimes he felt unequal or below what the rank truly expected of him—he never had to worry about something like food.

Akane shook her head, wanting to scream or cry or even both though she refused to break down in front of anyone who remained, it would be the weak thing to do.

"I don't want to kill but I don't know how long I can last." 

Fuyuhiko pulled her arm, trying to distract her from even thinking about the motive so they could try and get to at least know their surroundings in the area a bit more. 

"Then simple, we don't talk about it," he muttered as they continued up the stairs before exploring the next area of the Funhouse. 

Their searches and investigations lasted a little less than twenty minutes before they grouped once again, hopeless concerning the idea of anything in this house being on their side, to help them out.

The gymnast could occasionally glare at the wallpapers, secretly hoping that they were actual fruits but Fuyuhiko would snap her out of it, telling her how damn stupid it would be to try and eat the walls.

"You're not that desperate yet, please don't eat the damn wall." 

Akane groaned.

Fuyuhiko cleared his throat.

"Listen, about what I told you…" 

The gymnast smirked, "Oh when you were trying to flirt with me?" The comment must've offended Fuyuhiko because the moment it came out of her mouth he immediately began to defend himself.

"What!?" 

Fuyuhiko stammered.

"Good god, no, did you not understand what I was trying to tell you back there?" 

Akane shook her head, her eyes focused on the various photos of fruits on the walls and doors; it made the thought of food inescapable though that must've been Monokuma's intent.

"I meant Nekomaru."

The gymnast froze, blinking as she tried to piece together exactly what he had said to her back in the room; she remembered the conversation was about how she needed to tell him how grateful she was, how he was in a similar situation of a mutual sacrifice.

"Oh," she whispered as if she had just now solved the riddle. Akane felt her face become red, she couldn't tell if it was because she was confused or flustered or a mix of both.

"So when you talked about being grateful…you meant—" 

"Yeah I meant...Peko…"

Fuyuhiko shoved his hands into the pocket of his pants as he waited for Akane to make some kind of response. The Yakuza knew she needed to hear it, there was no telling how much time Nekomaru or even she had left; holding it in did nothing in a game like this, Fuyuhiko knew this well.

Much as left to be desired with his final conversation with Peko, he felt his heart about to explode, he wished badly he had thanked her and been more explicit with his confession of love towards her but now she was gone and she had protected him from getting killed even in her final moments.

"He's still alive, he made the sacrifice for you, I just think you should say thank you, it's my biggest regret with Peko." 

Akane brushed it off, not wishing to think about Nekomaru or the entire situation; she would always blame herself for that, now he was a robot thanks to her meddlesome actions and desire to fight even if the intent had been good.

"I don't think that's important right now, we need to focus on getting out." 

The gymnast didn't want to think about what her feelings towards him even were. She knew she couldn't handle that kind of truth exploding in her face at the moment, every thought seemed to make her entire body feel weaker.

"Akane—" 

"Listen, I'm telling you out in the open, our main priority is getting out of here right?" 

Fuyuhiko sighed, he wasn't gonna win against her and he certainly did not want to test her limits in a situation like this, she could still rearrange his face if she so desired.

"Yeah, I guess…"

_ You're gonna regret it. _

* * * 

They had been awake for only five days before Kyouko had informed them of their new, mandated therapy that would take place near the newly restored and built hospital on the main island.

When they asked about the one at the third island Makoto mentioned that it was simply part of the simulation; what actually existed there was just a small animal clinic.

Sonia smiled gently, thinking about how much Gundham would be happy to hear that if he ever woke up.

Kyouko had given them the full rundown of how the sessions would work; they'd begin to go in pairs aside from Hajime who needed to be alone and secluded due to everything that had taken place concerning Izuru in the last trial. 

After that they'd have group sessions at least twice a week to ensure they maintain good relations with one another, if their classmates woke up from comatose that would remain the same procedure.

"You'll only be in pairs for a week, unless otherwise requested you will start individual, mandatory therapy by yourselves," the detective added as she crossed her arms. "You're under supervision just in case and the therapists are staff from our foundation so I can assure you that you will be well taken care of." 

Akane had immediately clung to Fuyuhiko, Soda took no offense to this knowing that they shared far more in common when it came to their experiences in the simulation and Soda seemed respectfully delighted to be paired with Sonia.

"I guess I'm making up for the time in the Funhouse," he teased as he gently bumped Sonia in the hip, the princess giving a soft chuckle though she desperately wished that her memories of that entire time period had disappeared.

The first session with Fuyuhiko had been very one sided, Akane often staring at the floor and refusing to talk. 

Surprisingly, the Yakuza had managed to at least get some word out, making an effort knowing that it's what Peko would have wanted him to do. 

Their therapist didn't push them to speak for the first two sessions, knowing how tense and how ridiculous this entire process may seem to them though she warned that she still took notes of everything. 

"I don't want to pry but I do write down if you said anything for our timeframe, it's to keep record and show you are developing. This is all for your own good I promise you." 

Akane seemed to snap in half when she mentioned it being about their sake.

"My own good?" 

The gymnast chuckled, cocking a brow at the therapist as if she was utterly disgusted to even be in this environment, as if it made her look weak and meager.

"What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to suddenly be an open book to some stranger right after waking up and finding out everything was a simulation and I probably killed my own siblings?!" 

Her voice got louder and louder at every word, Fuyuhiko immediately reached over and grabbed her arm, mumbling for her to hold it together. 

"Shut up!" She screamed before she had fully stood up, pointing at the poor therapist who had her finger on the tablet, ready to call someone from the hospital to take her in if necessary.

"Akane stop," Fuyuhiko yelled back, his tone serious and his expression disappointed, as if he expected better from Akane and he certainly did. She had certainly changed the most since waking up and sometimes that wasn't for good reason. 

Akane breathed, immediately shaking her head as she gazed at the therapist, blinking as she saw her finger close to the call button. 

The gymnast sat back down in her seat, silent as she hugged her own body weakly, unable to get out another word as Fuyuhiko rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

_ "I think our session has just about run out of time." _

Though Fuyuhiko at least managed to talk, occasionally his anger getting the best of him, he had yet to lash out and he was certainty speaking more than Akane: a rare sight compared to their personalities within the game.

The day after Akane had lashed out they returned back to the room at the same time, the gymnast slouching in her seat before she coughed and let the therapist begin the session.

Fuyuhiko spoke for a few minutes, mostly about Peko and how badly he missed her.

"I wish I told her how grateful I was, that's my biggest regret…" 

Akane felt her heart begin to rip open, that was the same piece of advice that he had told her in the Funhouse, even when all the shit had hit the fan the one thing she had remembered besides Nekomaru's death was Fuyuhiko talking to her about telling Nekomaru how much he had meant to her.

_ "Make sure you tell him how grateful you are," _ began to ring in her ear.

She tuned out anything else that Fuyuhiko spoke about though it wasn't for much longer considering she heard the therapist ask if she had anything of her own to add.

The gymnast stood silent.

The silence deafened the entire room, it seemed like you could hear nothing except the faint taps from Fuyuhiko's shoes.

Almost forty five minutes had passed, Akane only falling deeper and deeper into her own thoughts in utter silence as their therapist sighed aloud, her fingers ready to type in that once again Akane had been unresponsive for the entire session.

Fuyuhiko frowned.

It was never like her to be this quiet, they had all taken waking up in different ways but Akane had ironically taken it the hardest and the worst.

She had kept Nekomaru and Gundham's advice close to her heart this whole time and yet when she had the chance to live again she seemed trapped.

The gymnast began to think about all that had happened, her stomach growling.

_ I'm told I need to get better.  _

_ How can I do that? I killed my own family, I'm the reason Nekomaru became someone he wasn't, I'm the reason he sacrificed himself. _

Akane felt her eyes water, choking on her own breath as she clenched her fists.

"I…" 

The therapist glanced up, eager to see if she would finally speak.

Fuyuhiko turned to her, confused as to why she had now finally decided to say something. His expression softened immediately upon seeing the tears flowing heavy from her eyes.

"How can I forgive myself," she cried out, feeling herself finally break after weeks of keeping everything in, she hadn't let herself cry since Nekomaru's death.

She clutched her denim jacket, trying to get a feel for how fast her heart must have been beating.

"I feel so weak for crying right now, I broke my own rule and yet I just want to cry harder; how can I move on knowing I probably killed my siblings?" 

Fuyuhiko silently scooted his chair over to her, careful to not make any sudden noises.

"And Nekomaru…" 

She took a deep breath, fingernails digging into her athletic shorts. Akane stared at Fuyuhiko though hazed eyes, getting a small glimpse of his worried expression.

"You told me, you told me to tell him how much I cared for him and I didn't listen and now he's in that stupid fucking pod," she sobbed. "I don't understand how stupid I could be." 

"He cared about you, he cared about all of us but don't pin this on yourself, stop putting this on yourself." 

The therapist nodded, not saying a word, wanting Akane to speak as much as needed without her own intrusions.

"And yet…I…I'm still here and alive while he's over there just withering away," she began before she sniffled, trying to communicate her emotions though every passing second felt like a complete waste of emotions.

Akane finally sighed.

"He did all of that… he's so… stupid," she whispered as Fuyuhiko blinked in surprise, not expecting that response to say the least.

"And he's kind… and… he made me feel stronger," she stuttered.

"He cared about me, he knew what I wanted, he made me realize the kind of person I want to become—" she paused before licking her lips, finally letting herself be out and open once and for all.

"Dammit, he was the one person I bothered remembering the name of before you all," she looked at Fuyuhiko who seemed intently listening to every word that poured out of her mouth.

"I loved him and I never told him, he did all of that for me and yet I stood around and just pretended we were fighting partners," she whispered before she finally began to break fully, as if she hadn't already.

"I love him…" the moment it rolled off her tongue she flushed, unable to comprehend if that was really how she felt or if it was just the heat of the moment. 

The gymnast didn't know if she was ready to admit her own feelings; she had told Hajime how attachment was the stupidest thing she could do in a situation like this. Yet, she had just admitted it.

Akane was a hypocrite.

"I love him, I miss him, I want him back more than anything, this… this burden I feel constantly that he died for me and my own selfish reasons." 

Fuyuhiko and the therapist both smiled, as awful as it sounded it was great to finally see her cry. 

The Yakuza in particular had noticed since they woke up how bottled her emotions had been. 

"I love… Nekomaru…and yet, I denied it all this time so I could be selfish and not look weak," she cried before finally collapsing into Fuyuhiko's lap, her head resting on his pants as she continued to sob.

Fuyuhiko smiled, relieved.

_ So she does love him. _

Their therapist nodded, breaking their session for the day, thanking Fuyuhiko and Akane both for their time. 

"Akane please remember one thing, you're not weak for having emotions, I'm sure someone has told you that before, you may have been raised to feel that way or perhaps you came to that conclusion on your own but we all have points of weakness, it's what makes us human," she smiled.

Akane looked up as Fuyuhiko stayed silent, simply giving her a firm pat on the back for being so open about her emotions today.

"Damn right," he mumbled to Akane.

In the simulation he would've snapped at someone, completely cussed them out if they even had tried to bring up the fact he was ever crying or getting emotional and hell, it happened with Nagito.

However, in situations like this it was needed. 

Crying would be the one thing that connected them all to their lost humanity.

"You are the strongest person you know, keep that in mind." 

The therapist wished them a good day as Fuyuhiko and Akane both stood up, the shorter man holding his arm around her waist just in case she felt dizzy from all the rushing and pulsing emotions heading to her brain.

Akane had finally regained her breath, wiping her eyes as they walked out from the hospital together, the sun immediately flashed them both right in the eyes.

"Fucking hell," Fuyuhiko blinked, though he still had the eyepatch it was bright as hell outside as always.

The gymnast sighed.

"Hey, don't tell anyone about what happened back there." 

Fuyuhiko looked over at her with a soft grin across his lips before he stared out at the shore, the leaves from the Palm Trees gently shaking as the waves crashed.

"I won't, I promise." 

The Yakuza then smiled, uncharacteristically happy about the entire situation back there; how vulnerable she had managed to become in a matter of minutes.

"I'm proud of you." 

Akane's face brightened at the comment before she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she rubbed his hair with a soft smirk.

"Whatever you say baby gangster." 

* * * 

The days had slowly faded into weeks and those weeks had turned into months concerning all of them living on the island.

It had been nine months since Akane had woken up from her comatose state, since they had shut down the killing game and started to create their own future.

There had been a whirlwind of side effects for everyone. Akane was no exception, she had woke up terrified and weaker than ever physically and mentally. She had to depend on Fuyuhiko or Soda the first month to make sure she didn't stumble everywhere she walked.

Makoto and the rest of the Future Foundation took every precaution necessary, making therapy mandated and always checking in on their progress or if they could help with anything that was reasonable.

Akane remembered that Soda had awkwardly asked for hair dye after the first week as his biggest priority, Makoto had no troubles with this immediately writing it down though the mechanic seemed frustrated that it wasn't in his hands at that very moment. 

The gymnast had lived for the days where someone would wake up, it always brought a little bit of joy to everyone's heart and made the suffering and hard news just a little more worth it.

Seeing the restaurant table once again begin to fill up with more people in seats made everyone happy; it felt like the beginning of the simulation except this time there was no killing. 

Her and Fuyuhiko had arranged their usual once a week, early morning meetings at Chandler Beach. 

There had been no specific reasons for these meetings, it was just something that had stuck with her since they had all woken up, occasionally Soda would join though the mechanic had the tendency to not want to wake up until it was past nine in the morning.

Akane felt her eyes open, her vision blurred and her nose crinkled, having been smashed into her pillow as she slept.

She attempted to turn before she cursed to herself, feeling her leg hit Nekomaru in his side. Her heart exploded every time she woke up and realized that he was beside her however this probably wasn't the most graceful she had ever woken up.

Nekomaru's eyes opened as he rubbed his side, confused before he saw Akane staring at him as she began to sit up. He smiled, thankful that she was right beside him as she had been every day for the last month.

"Sorry old man," she whispered.

The team manager chuckled, unable to really grasp what exactly was happening, it was still six in the morning according to the clock in his cottage. 

"I'm assuming you're going to see Fuyuhiko," he mumbled before she nodded, leaning over and gently pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, not wanting to disturb him any further.

He took her waist and Akane gasped in surprise before she found herself on top of him, his hand gripped around her waist, keeping her there as the gymnast flushed, unaware of what was about to happen.

_ I mean… I'm not complaining, it's a good view. _

"What if I kept you here," he pondered aloud, Akane stammered, not knowing if he was serious or not, she certainly did not want to leave Fuyuhiko hanging though the prospect of Nekomaru refusing to let her leave so she could be beside him was beyond sweet. 

"Geez old man," she laughed aloud before there was silence, their eyes met once again as Akane felt herself completely charmed. 

Their lips met, Nekomaru running a hand through her hair as Akane comfortably let her hands lay on his chest.

They kissed for a few minutes, both of them giggling between kisses, unable to be so serious this early in the morning as Nekomaru paused feeling Akane pull away from him.

"I have to go," she whined quietly, she didn't want to stop but she had given her word and they both knew how serious Akane was when it came to spending time with Fuyuhiko, he was her best friend after all.

He nodded before she gently rolled off of him, pressing one final kiss to his lips before he kissed her hand, wishing her a good time with Fuyuhiko.

"Thanks," she mumbled with a radiant glow across her face, unable to even think about how a month ago they had both been fumbling their way around a confession before Akane had finally listened to her gut, dropped all logic and just kissed him. 

"I love you." 

Akane felt her heart race.

"I love you to," she whispered before she put on her clothes and made it out, the sun had yet to set but it was just light enough to see where she was going even without the cottage and hotel area lights on. 

When she had finally arrived at the beach she saw Fuyuhiko waving, the Yakuza sitting right on the shore. 

She made her way over, taking off her shoes as she trotted through the sand before she sat down beside him, their hand meeting as they did their own secret handshake they had come up with before their therapy sessions back when they had first woke up.

"Took you long enough," he laughed.

Akane groaned.

"Nekomaru woke up, I kicked him in the sides when I realized I was running late," she admitted before Fuyuhiko smiled gently, he seemed beyond glad that they had finally worked it out, he felt like his advice back from the Funhouse had finally been taken into account.

"Peko always wakes up, I knew she could sense anything or any kind of movement but I underestimated just how acute her sense of timing and smell is," he laughed, his face always brightened when he began to speak about his lover.

Akane found it sweet.

It seemed like she was the one thing he truly cared for and loved dearly, she made his life meaningful from how Fuyuhiko had always explained it. 

"Well she is a ninja," she grinned as she gave a wink, her talents had always been beyond but Akane always deep down believed that she would be the Ultimate Ninja. It seemed far more suited for her from what little information Peko had told her and the many stories Fuyuhiko went on and on about.

They laid in the sand, relaxed, talking about various subjects as they looked up at the sky that grew lighter and lighter as the minutes went by; they had caught sunrise right as Fuyuhiko finished telling her about the detailed plan he had for Peko's upcoming birthday.

"What a view," Akane yelled as she excitedly stood up, walking towards the water as she left her shoes beside Fuyuhiko; the water reached up to almost her knees as she stood paralyzed by the sunrise.

She had her hands on her hips, she didn't realize her fishnets were still on as she looked down at her own feet though that wouldn't be an issue. She kept a firm hand on her denim jacket as she adjusted her sports bra, making sure that the jacket wouldn't suddenly plunge into the water.

Fuyuhiko sat closer to the shore, not wanting to get his long pants wet even if the water certainly looked and, probably, felt nice.

Akane turned, grinning at her close friend.

"It's crazy to think we're still here, I know we're awake and all but, it's still the same place isn't it?" 

Fuyuhiko nodded though he had never really thought about it that way. He had always avoided the correlation between the simulated island and the  _ real _ Jabberwock Island.

"Yeah, there's some changes though which makes things at least somewhat refreshing," he yelled though Akane began to truck back closer to the shore line as the wind began to dance across their faces. 

"I still remember first meeting you." 

The gymnast rolled her eyes though she had a soft smile across her lips, she had remembered most of her memories in the simulation though everyone's introductions were certainly not one of them.

Her only stand outs had been Fuyuhiko, who cussed her out and kept his guard up, Gundham, who believed she was attempting to pose a threat to him and Nekomaru, obviously.

"Did I sound stupid?"

Fuyuhiko shook his head.

"You were just open, I wasn't ready for that, I was still acting like a complete dick," he stated before Akane nodded, not exactly disagreeing with the fact he had been quite cold their first few encounters.

Akane knew him now better and how his story went and she couldn't blame him at all, there were many things she didn't know about the Yakuza back then and even right now there were certainly things she would never find out no matter how close to one another they were.

"You got better, that's what matters." 

Fuyuhiko sat comfortably in the sand, taking off his blazer as he sighed in relief, it was nice to get some time alone even if he always wanted to be beside his partner, sometimes you just needed to be with a friend or completely alone.

"Here's to us for surviving this long, we beat the odds." 

Akane chuckled.

"Who would've thought, the Yakuza boss and the gymnast becoming best friends," she added as Fuyuhiko reached over and rubbed her shoulder for comfort. Akane grinned as she explained that she was glad their friendship had stuck it out so long despite everything that had happened to them concerning the game and their former remnant personas.

"Now we're brothers for life." 

Akane gasped.

"Oh that sounds badass." 

Fuyuhiko laughed, assuring her that it was just Yakuza mentality, everyone close to his clan was bound together like family, often referring to each other by brother or sister unless they were parental figures.

"Oh so does that mean I'm your sister?" 

The Yakuza shrugged.

"That's up to you." 

Akane felt her eyes water, she didn't know why until she realized that she had desperately missed the relationship she had being the eldest sister to all of her siblings; she tried not to think about it too much or else she would spiral however she couldn't repress how much she missed them.

In the simulation she had always considered Fuyuhiko somewhat of a sibling figure to her, this felt like the official declaration that he didn't mind her being so on top of him and acting like a sister to him.

She smiled.

"Yeah, I like that a lot." 

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @pxkopxkoyama, thank you for reading, comments much appreciated !!!


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